“Mentally ill?”
The slightly chubby Driver confirmed.
“That’s right. I overheard them saying they were going to the Fourth Hospital, and isn’t the Fourth Hospital where they treat mental illnesses?”
Li Shaofen analyzed, and as her voice faded, an eerie silence settled in the car.
“Did I say something wrong?”
Suddenly feeling ignored, Li Shaofen grew restless, though fortunately, they arrived at their destination without further incident.
“Heh, I originally intended to learn about the Chen family’s basic situation from this woman, but I didn’t expect such a pleasant surprise.”
The youth in the back row suddenly chuckled aloud.
“Boss, do you think Chen Degao’s son could be the person we’re looking for?”
The Driver asked the Man in Sunglasses beside him.
“I believe so. Unless they’re blood-related twins, how could two people in this world look so incredibly alike?”
The Man in Sunglasses spoke, his voice confirming him to be the very person who had kidnapped and killed Haiford.
“What should we do then? Should we try to storm the hospital and eliminate him?”
The Driver asked hesitantly.
“What else? Shan Zhu, for people like us, does it make a difference whether we kill one more person or one less?”
The Man in Sunglasses retorted.
“That’s true.”
Shan Zhu pondered for a moment, then shrugged off his hesitation before driving away.
****
Noticing the late hour, Chen Xuanqiu urgently pressed her mother and sister to leave. In these times, it was ill-advised for women to linger outside late at night.
“Mother’s most important task right now is to take care of you, so I won’t be going back tonight.”
“Tomorrow’s the weekend for me. How about I stay here with you too?”
Both mother and daughter wished to stay overnight.
“No, absolutely not. There’s only one hospital bed here. Where would you two sleep?”
Chen Xuanqiu refused, knowing the hospital was not ‘clean’ and thus unwilling to let her mother and sister remain.
“Even with just one bed, the three of us — mother and daughters — can certainly squeeze in.”
Melissa suggested, eager to stay.
“No, healthy people shouldn’t sleep in a hospital bed. If you don’t leave, I will.”
Chen Xuanqiu made a move as if to get up.
“No, no, no, we’ll go. You get some good rest.”
Frightened, Melissa conceded, then took her younger daughter and left, glancing back repeatedly with each step.
The ward immediately fell silent, and as Chen Xuanqiu recalled the morning’s sightings, fear began to creep into her heart once more.
‘I wonder if the hospital walls can keep out those wandering spirits? If not, what if they come out to roam at night?’
Chen Xuanqiu gazed at the pristine white walls, her mind filled with anxious thoughts.
Soon after, Ni Shanshan arrived with the medication, intending to personally watch Chen Xuanqiu take it, just as she had that morning.
Chen Xuanqiu, knowing the medicine had a hypnotic effect, “eagerly” swallowed it, thinking, ‘As long as I fall asleep, I won’t be afraid.’
“That’s right. Take your medicine obediently so you can get out sooner. If you don’t behave, this open ward could be converted into a closed ward at any time.”
Ni Shanshan deliberately tried to scare her.
‘A closed ward? Isn’t that like being imprisoned?’
Chen Xuanqiu shivered inwardly.
“Little sister, I’m on duty tonight. If you need anything, you can find me at the nurses’ station.”
Ni Shanshan instructed, then carefully pulled up the blanket for Chen Xuanqiu.
“I understand.”
Chen Xuanqiu nodded obediently. As Ni Shanshan was about to exit the room, she quickly called out, “Sister, be careful tonight.”
“Careful? Heh, do you think a thief might break in?”
Ni Shanshan was amused.
Chen Xuanqiu didn’t know how to explain, so she could only fret silently.
“Go to sleep now!”
Ni Shanshan shook her head helplessly, then turned and closed the door.
Out of fear, Chen Xuanqiu kept the lights on. As night deepened, the hospital grew quieter, and every slight sound was now distinctly audible.
“Let me out… you bunch of bastards… I’m not sick… How dare you lock me up… When I get out, I’ll kill every single one of you!”
Suddenly, a man’s frantic shouts echoed from upstairs.
Startled by the sudden outburst, Chen Xuanqiu immediately flinched, pulling her body deeper into the covers.
‘What if I’m forcibly confined in this hospital like this someday?’
Chen Xuanqiu’s blood ran cold at the thought.
“I didn’t mean to kill you… why do you keep haunting me… please… just let me go.”
“My darling… my baby must be hungry… Mommy will feed you…”
“Doctor… Doctor… Help me… There’s a snake in my room.”
“The sun shines brightly… the flowers smile at me…”
One after another, strange sounds erupted: crying, screaming, and even singing.
Chen Xuanqiu’s nerves were taut. Her intense fear seemed to override the medication’s hypnotic effects.
Having no other choice, Chen Xuanqiu got up, then, wearing her newly bought pink semi-high-heeled sandals, she stepped out of the ward.
After leaving the ward, Chen Xuanqiu headed directly for the nurses’ station, intending to spend the night there with the nurses.
When Chen Xuanqiu arrived at the nurses’ station, she found two nurses chatting; one was fiddling with a computer, and the other with a medical tray.
The one arranging the medical tray was Ni Shanshan.
“Ni Shanshan, the transgender patient who arrived today, you’re responsible for her, right?”
The tall, slender nurse, about 1.65 meters tall, who was fiddling with the computer asked.
“That’s right, she’s in Ward 302.”
Ni Shanshan replied without turning her head.
“Aren’t transgender people just transsexuals?”
Li Rui asked, gossiping.
“Have some common sense, will you? Transgender people simply have a cognitive disorder regarding their gender identity. For example, someone might be biologically male but believe themselves to be female, without necessarily having undergone gender confirmation surgery. So, the two aren’t the same.”
Ni Shanshan explained.
“But looking at her chest, it’s clear she’s had surgery.”
Li Rui analyzed.
“I don’t know. I’m not a busybody; why would I pry into someone’s privacy?”
Ni Shanshan shook her head.
“You’re in charge of her today, didn’t you notice anything? For instance, whether she’s had work done on her face? Or if her breasts are real?”
Li Rui persisted, unwilling to give up.
“Li Rui, are you ever going to stop? You’re a nurse; you should have basic professional ethics and treat all patients equally.”
Ni Shanshan reprimanded, losing her patience.
“No, no, you misunderstood. I just wanted to know where she had her surgery. She turned out so beautiful, and I want to try it too.”
Li Rui quickly shook her head.
“For someone like you, surgery won’t help; you’d need to be reborn.”
Ni Shanshan stared at her colleague, her eyes wide, as if looking at an idiot.
Chen Xuanqiu waited for the two nurses to finish their conversation before awkwardly approaching them.
“Little sister, why are you out here? Not sleeping so late at night?”
Ni Shanshan immediately flashed a bright smile.
Li Rui, on the other hand, felt a bit awkward, secretly glancing at Chen Xuanqiu with an expression full of envy.
“I… I can’t sleep.”
Chen Xuanqiu mumbled weakly, leaning her upper body on the workstation. She was truly afraid the nurse would send her away.
“It’s normal not to be able to sleep when you first arrive here; you’ll get used to it over time.”
Ni Shanshan offered comfort.
‘Over time?’
Chen Xuanqiu shivered again at these words. She couldn’t even stand to stay for one night, let alone get used to it.
“Sit down. If you’re scared, chat with us.”
Ni Shanshan pointed to the swivel chair in front of the workstation.
Chen Xuanqiu was overjoyed and quickly sat down in the swivel chair.
Chen Xuanqiu then watched the two nurses chat with keen interest. Ordinarily, she would have found it boring, but now, it was like listening to celestial music; any human voice was welcome.
Through the conversation between the two nurses, Chen Xuanqiu gained some understanding of their work. This floor had twenty-four single-patient wards, some open and some closed. During the day, each nurse was responsible for the care of about six rooms, while at night, only two nurses were on duty, each overseeing twelve wards.
Due to the heavy workload in a psychiatric hospital, each nurse was responsible for fewer beds compared to a regular hospital.
“But you’re all girls. What if you encounter a very aggressive male patient?”
Chen Xuanqiu couldn’t help but ask, recalling the noisy patient from upstairs just moments ago.
“Our inpatient department also has security guards. In such cases, we just have to call them in.”
Ni Shanshan replied.
“There are security guards here? Where are they?”
Chen Xuanqiu looked around. Although she knew the security guards couldn’t deal with the things she had seen, it was still a form of psychological comfort.
“Yes, they’re in the security office by the main entrance, on call anytime.”
Ni Shanshan answered.
“You’d better be obedient, or we’ll have the security guards deal with you.”
Li Rui, standing nearby, threatened eerily.
Chen Xuanqiu’s face flushed with embarrassment, her smile faltering.
“Li Rui?”
Ni Shanshan cast a reproachful glance at her colleague.
“Just kidding.”
Li Rui quickly chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.
As they idly chatted, time imperceptibly slipped into the deep hours of the night.
With her fear momentarily abated, Chen Xuanqiu drowsily leaned on the workstation and drifted off to sleep.
Just then, the main unit of the call system on the wall rang, displaying “Room 305.”
The piercing ring instantly jolted Chen Xuanqiu awake, and she opened her eyes in confusion.
“It’s Room 305.”
Ni Shanshan glanced at the display, then prepared to head towards that ward.
‘Room 305? Wasn’t that the room where I saw the Blood Infant this morning?’
A faint memory stirred in Chen Xuanqiu’s mind, and she instantly became fully alert.